Say Something, I'm Giving Up On You
by diamondgilbreath
Summary: Diamond Gilbreath returns to her apartment one day facing an unexpected visitor. The problem is, she's Tony Stark's main squeeze now. Ivan VankoxOCXTony Stark oneshot OOC Ivan Vanko


She's exhausted after the mess of the last few weeks - the disaster on the Monaco race track, Tony's behavior at his birthday party, Rhodey's leaving with one of Tony's older suits - and wants nothing more than a hot bath, some wine, and her bed. Finding the lights on in her apartment when she opens the door is not on the list of good things, and Diamond exchanges keys for her cell-phone, ready to dial the police when a familiar figure comes into view.

It had been over sixteen years since she'd seen him, until Monaco, and then she hadn't even been certain he recognized her. Or perhaps he'd been too focused on Tony to notice who was in the car. She really didn't care, not when she'd been nearly killed herself, and not with all the frustrations of the previous weeks. Still, she doesn't finish dialing, canceling the call instead. Why, she'll figure out later.

Closing the door and locking it are the matter of seconds, and she turns to see him still where he was, watching her without speaking. Not that they'd spoken much the first time they'd met, in Moscow almost seventeen years ago. She'd been fresh out of high school, traveling with friends; he'd been nearly a decade older than her. It hadn't mattered, between drinks and the encouragement of her friends to go for whatever she wanted. A mad, whirlwind summer between high school and college, and she'd seized the chance with both hands.

Now, she isn't sure why he's here, instead of trying to kill Tony again, or hiding someplace where his face is unknown. She can figure out why he isn't dead easily enough, though who had given him the means to fake his own death and escape the prison he'd been held at is another question to answer later.

"I expected you to be dead." Her voice is loud in the silence, and sounds harsher to her ears than she's accustomed to being.

Ivan shrugs, remaining where he is. "Someone else is." The statement of the obvious makes Diamond give him one of the same sharp looks Tony gets for being difficult. It works about as well, though on Ivan it more seems to roll off him rather than being deflected with words or expressions better suited for a pet dog.

"So why are you here?" Instead of wherever his benefactor intended him to be. Unless this is where his benefactor intends for him to be, and if that's the case, Diamond really wants to know who it is, and what they hope to accomplish.

The answer is unexpected and unspoken, the sight of him going to his knees drying her throat a moment as it brings back unbidden memories. She draws herself up with a deep breath, setting her purse and keys in their usual place near the door, taking the handful of steps between them, and resting a light hand against the side of his face. It had been her on her knees in Moscow, exhilarated and terrified, while he'd been where she is now. And she hasn't had anyone kneel to her since college, and the relationship she'd left behind when she graduated.

It's odd to see Ivan there, and after a moment, Diamond pulls her hand back, and walks around him, a quiet and controlled, "Follow me," all she tells him. She can hear him get to his feet, and that lets a small amount of tension bleed out of her. It doesn't exactly suit him, to be kneeling on the floor, though she does intend to take some advantage of the unspoken offer.

Turning to face him once she's in her bedroom, she watches him for a long moment. "While you're here, no shirt, shoes or socks. You don't answer the door or the phone, and you remain in the bedroom if I have guests."

Ivan tilts his head in acknowledgment of her rules, before stripping off the shirt that covers his tattooed torso. He's already shed whatever shoes he wears - she thinks there might have been a pair of boots just inside the door - and it's a matter of seconds for him to remove his socks as well.

She studies him for a long moment, toying with a thought for a long moment before she voices it. "You don't need to speak English while you're with me." She might not understand all of what he says - and expects not to understand very much - but she knows it will be easier to ignore the danger inherent in allowing him to remain here that way. Allow her to imagine they're somewhere else, far away from the chaos and danger of real life.

Another quiet moment, and she beckons him to follow her once more, into the bathroom attached to her bedroom. Directing him in drawing her bath so it's the way she likes it. Hot enough to turn her skin pink when she slides in, but not so much that she's out again after a few minutes. Fragrant oil to let her relax, and Ivan waiting silently, kneeling on a folded towel net to the tub. It feels almost like a fantasy, a dream that she'll wake to find herself facing another long day of dealing with the fallout from Tony's behavior and trying to run a company that she hadn't asked for or wanted.

Diamond shuts her eyes, leaning her head back against the rolled towel on the edge of the tub, letting the hot water do its magic, listening to Ivan's slow, steady breathing and the utter silence beyond that. Almost drifting, her mind blank beyond the here and now. She doesn't know how long it is before she opens her eyes again, meeting Ivan's steady gaze. Silent for several heart beats longer before she shifts, the water splashing quietly against the sides of the tub as she stands.

No words are spoken as he does the same, reaching for her bathrobe to help her into it. Wrapping it around her, his hands resting briefly on her shoulders before he pulls back, waiting for her. Diamond pads into her bedroom, beckoning Ivan to follow. All she wants right now is to sleep, to get enough rest before she has to return to her life, charge once more into the breach and hope she makes it through this mess sane.

"Check the lock, turn out the lights." Diamond goes to pick out pajamas from her dresser, watching Ivan out of the corner of her eye. Waiting until he's left the room to pull an older set out, flannel worn thin over the years, and draw them on. She's sitting on the bed when he returns, shutting the bedroom door behind him. It takes little time to turn off the bathroom light as well, and to shut that door. Nothing but the lamp on the bedside table and to decide where he'll be sleeping.

She could tell him to sleep on the couch, but right now, she doesn't know that she wants to. They watch each other a moment, Ivan waiting for her to speak, she thinks. After a moment, she tilts her head a little, lifting one hand to beckon him over. "Sleep here, tonight."

They'll work out the details of whatever this arrangement will be in the morning. Tonight, Diamond slides beneath the sheets, glad she has a double bed, and reaches to turn out the light when the mattress dips under the weight of another. Letting herself gravitate toward Ivan's warmth, and curling against his side.

The last thought through her head as she drifts to sleep is that she's not even sure Ivan will be there in the morning.


End file.
